You're saying it's not like he had three extra years of commitment all along - more like 5-ish. I do see your point and I think it's' a good one.

On your other point, I think one thing is for sure: there are undoubtedly *many* things going on behind the scenes that we don't know about. Perhaps there are windows of opportunity for GDT that have shifted since 2008; something akin to losing the rights to do a project if it's not started within a certain time frame, (not unlike the right to the LOTR and Hobbit movies). We can only speculate at this point, and speculate we will (a la macfalk's comment yesterday).

The casting has been limping along for months now with no greenlight, so I'm not sure that's the best barometer to use to assess whether things are still on track, and I personally don't think they're still what can be called 'on track.'

My gut feel is that, in addition to some things going on that we may never know, it all boils down to the MGM quagmire. Yes, the films have the potential to make a lot of money. But, as we all know, it takes money to make money and to start a big undertaking like this, it's all about cash flow. Cash outflow to be precise. No prudent investor/business/studio is going to shell out hundreds of millions of dollars to film The Hobbit, only to have it sit in the can on a shelf somewhere because the company with the rights to distribute it (or what's left of the company) is tied up in legal limbo.

Which brings me to one last point I agree with you on - I hope I'm proven wrong! Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.

"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower

"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase